Negron exit sparks state senate primary fight

By Jim Turner News Service of Florida

Thursday

Aug 9, 2018 at 5:51 PMAug 9, 2018 at 5:51 PM

TALLAHASSEE — State Rep. Gayle Harrell isn’t mincing words, describing her Republican primary opponent in the race to replace Senate President Joe Negron as a “carpetbagger” from Broward County trying to “buy a seat.”

Belinda Keiser has responded with an argument similar to Gov. Rick Scott’s attacks on U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, painting Harrell as a career politician who has failed to act on key issues in the Treasure Coast district, particularly a toxic algae outbreak sliming area waterways.

Harrell, 75, and Keiser, 59, are squaring off in a contentious Aug. 28 primary in what is technically a special election to replace Negron, who is finishing two years as Senate president. Negron, R-Stuart, could have stayed in the Senate until 2020 but decided to exit two years early from the seat in District 25, which includes northwestern Palm Beach County, Martin and St. Lucie counties.

The winner of the primary will face Democrat Robert Levy, a physician who started a primary-care center in Port St. Lucie in 1983, in the general election. The district leans Republican based on voter-registration numbers and past election results.

Negron, who is backing Harrell “based on her long track record in our community and her commitment to our environment,” is among those who expect voters to decide the primary based on issues. Negron said the top issue is polluted discharges from Lake Okeechobee that have fouled area waters.

“In the end, voters look past the noise and clutter and select the candidate they believe will best represent their interests,” Negron said.

Joe Catrambone, CEO of the Stuart/Martin County Chamber of Commerce, said that despite heavy spending by Keiser, her message faces stiff local resistance.

“Most of the conversations I've had with my neighbors and chamber members strongly support Gayle,” said Catrambone, who has given Harrell $250 for her campaign.

Harrell, who has focused heavily on health-care issues in Tallahassee, was first elected to the state House in 2000 and served until term limits forced her to leave in 2008. After an unsuccessful run for Congress, she returned to the state House in 2010, where she will be term-limited again this fall.

Harrell has continued to campaign following the death in May of her husband of 53 years, James Harrell, a doctor who practiced in Martin County.

Keiser is married to Arthur Keiser, whose mother initially ran what was a small institute in Oakland Park called Keiser School. Belinda Keiser now serves as vice chancellor of community relations and student advancement for the international Keiser University.

Harrell and Keiser are battling over issues such as water conditions and the environment, a planned northern expansion of the controversial Brightline passenger rail system, guns, education and health care.

Tapping into her personal wealth, Keiser has dramatically outspent Harrell in the primary.

Harrell, who has received backing of the Florida Medical Association, has loaned $100,000 of her own money to her campaign and had raised another $140,659 as of July 27 through her campaign account and the committee Friends of Gayle Harrell. Combined, the campaign and political committee had spent about $19,500.

As of July 27, Keiser had put up $950,000 of her own money into the contest through her campaign account and the committee Treasure Coast Leadership Team. She had separately raised about $160,000 for the campaign and committee, which had spent about $978,000.

Keiser, who ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat for a state House seat in Broward County in 2000, has drawn criticism for her prior party affiliation and for initially using the address of Keiser University’s Port St. Lucie campus for her Treasure Coast district address. She’s since moved into a condo on Hutchinson Island in Martin County.

Keiser’s money and move to the district from Broward County have spurred Harrell to criticize Keiser for using her “great wealth” to “buy a seat.” Harrell has said she feels like she’s “running against Keiser College.”

“She could have moved, but chose not to move,” Harrell said. “Only when Sen. Negron steps down does she choose to move.”

Keiser said she’s always planned to retire to Martin County and pointed to her knowledge of the district through the university having locations in the area for 20 years.

“We have demonstrated our investment to this community, to the people of this community,” Keiser said.

The criticism lobbed by the two have appeared in separate attack ads from unaffiliated political committees.

Aside from the personal animosity, water conditions are a major issue in the contest.

Harrell said the state needs to continue to support construction of a reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee that was successfully pushed by Negron in 2016 to help avert discharges from the lake into the St. Lucie estuary. Harrell also said the state needs to press the federal government to speed repairs to the Herbert Hoover Dike around the lake and to lessen scheduled releases from the lake.

Keiser, meanwhile, said a comprehensive approach is needed to address pollution in the area’s waterways. That approach would look at impacts to the lake from the south and the north, something she said Harrell hasn’t done.

“Representative Harrell has had 26 years to address what is a crushing challenge in this community,” Keiser said, including years in which Harrell ran for office.

Keiser also contends that through her state and federal advocacy for education, veterans and job creation, she has developed connections that can be more effective in the fight against the Brightline rail system. The system runs from West Palm Beach to Miami, but a planned extension to Orlando has drawn heavy opposition in the Treasure Coast.

Harrell co-sponsored legislation that attempted to give the state Department of Transportation regulatory authority over high-speed rail where not prevented by federal regulations. That legislation has not passed.

Another issue in the race is the state’s response to the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. The candidates differ on part of a new law that increased the minimum age from 18 to 21 to purchase long guns, such as rifles.

Harrell voted for the measure, while Keiser said she opposes the age restrictions.

Harrell also wants to make an issue of Keiser’s claim to be a Trump Republican because of past political contributions to Democrats including Hillary Clinton and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

“In Martin County we have something called ‘character counts.’” Harrell said. “This is something we bring our children up on. They may not do that in Broward County.”

Keiser said a donation doesn’t mean you agree with a candidate’s positions but is necessary at times from a business standpoint to get things done, depending on the person’s office and committees.

“Education is a bipartisan or nonpartisan issue, many of the issues we face will require at least a meeting with a Democrat or a Republican,” Kesier said.

Keiser, who has been appointed by Scott to the boards of Enterprise Florida and Space Florida, points to her service as a Scott pick for the powerful Constitutional Revision Commission as part of her government service. Keiser co-sponsored several proposed constitutional amendments that the commission placed on the November ballot.

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